Convertible furniture



Jan. 24, 1956 J. R. THOMAS CQNVERTIBLE FURNITURE Filed April 26, 1952 INVENTOR. JOSEPH R. THOMAS BY ATT'Y.

United States Patent CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Joseph R. Thomas, Chicago, Ill. Application April 26, 1952, SerialTNo; 284,496

14 Claims. (Cl. -53) This invention relates in general. to' convertible furniture of the bed davenport type and is more particularly described as a movable end; rest fora rearwardly'overturning seat type of bed davenport which is changeable from a front board in one: position to an inclined pillow rest at another position of the folding mechanism.

The present invention provides a coordinated convertible construction which isfoldable from a position within the seat to a position extending outwardly and forwardly from within the frame andv in which the front board is inverted. rearwardly with the seat section and is inclined automatically during; such inversion to provide a pillow rest at. the inner end of the unfolded structure and additionally fills the space between this end of the unfolded structure and. the adjacent surface of a fixed cushion at the rear of the davenport frame.

One of the objects of the invention; is to provide also apillow rest movahly attached? to: one: of the folding end sections of a structure inwhich. the seat section does not mount. within the frame but takes a position at the outer end of the bed when unfolded and is so connected to the mounting; means for the folding sections that. the rest is automatically inclined outwardly as the bed structure is unfolded to form a: bed;

An important object of the invention is to provide a front rail for a folding: bed davenport construction which is overturnable rearwardly with the seat structure within the frame to: provide a: rest for pillows, bed clothes, and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a front board in connection with an overturning seat section in which the front board is automatically inclined rearwardly' as the seat section is:inverted to form a bed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a. bed davenport having. foldable and coordinatedfoldin'g sections in. connection with a rearwardlyoverturning seat in which. the front: board for the d'avenport is movably mounted on the seat section insuch a manner that when the seat section is overturned rearwardly within the davenport frame, the front board is automaticaP 1y inclined outwardly at the back of the seat section to provide a rest for apillow at this end of the unfolded structure and also to substantially fill the space between the end of. the inverted seatsection and the adjacent surface of a fixedbackv structure.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and will be apparent from the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a. side elevation of the folding, sections of a chair bed in accordance with this invention showing portions of the supporting frame in section and with the movable front boardin position at the front of the frame.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the frame shown. in Fig. 1 with the bed sections extendedv to open position with the front board carried upwardly and rearwardly adjacent the back rest.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of. another form of davenporf bed" in which the movable back rest is 2 carried by one of the folding. bed sections which extends-in folded position below and behind an upholstered back rest. at therearof the frame.

Foldable pillow rests are found in connection with collapsible: and extensible folding: bed.v structures; but they are manually engaged for moving them from a position against a mattress: on the bed sections toan extended position at one end of the bed section to which it is connected. The present invention differs materially from this: prior construction in providing a pillow rest which is-automatically extended and inclined by the unfolding. action of the bed? sections, and may consist either of. a. front. board. for the front of the frame or it may be a restcarried by a rear section and moved by the movement of the sections from one position to another to extend the pillow rest at'th'e rear end of the rear most section in the direction of the back rest in the frame.

Referring now'morei particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, an article of convertible furniture which may be-in the form of a chair or in the form of a davenport has two end. frames 10- which form the side arms for the structure and they may be upholstered or made of plain materialssuch as wood and of any desired contour or shape. corresponding to the pattern or style of the furniture. At the. rear, these end frames are rigid- 1y connected in any suitable manner by a fixed back 12 leaving the front ends of th'e' frames spaced apart and connected or unconnected at the front. Extending between the inner forward sides of the end frames is a front board 14* usually'of' a width which constitutes the height from top to bottom of the board when it is in position at the front of the frame and it closes the space from the cushions to the lower edge of' the frame. This front board. maybe left plain or upholstered at its front or exposed sides, and for the purposes of the present invention, it may be formed with an upholstering or padding 16 at its rearside; The front board is supported. by one of the bed sections and is movable by means of the construction which foldabl'y mounts the seat and the other sections extensible to form a sleeping surface for the bed.

At the rear and upper portion of the frame, a seat back 18 is usually provided which may consist ofloose pillows or it may be an upholstered and spring containing back supported by a hired rail 20- and extending to or above the upper edge of the hired back 12. A space is usually provided between the rail 20' and the back 12 belowand: behind theback rest 18 to provide space for receiving-a portion of the folding bed sections.

In the form shown, the folding bed structure comprises a seat section 22 mounted in the end frames Ill by means of a lever 24 and a link 26 at each end of the section. Each lever 24 is connected by a pivot 25 at one end to one end of a mounting, strip 28 secured to the corresponding endframe and each link 26 is connected by a pivot 27 with the other end of the corresponding strip 28. The. other endof each lever 24. is connected by a pivot 29 and the other end of each link 26 is connected by a pivot 3-1 on the outer side of one web of an angle bar 30 secured by its other web to the adjacent portion of the seat section 22.

At the rear. of the seat section in its folded position is a yoke 32 connecting the opposite sides of the section which is strengthened at each sideby a brace 34 to hold the yoke firmly in position. At the front side of the seat section 22 is a projection 36 at each end which extends'upwardly in the seat position and to which an arm. 38 is connected by a pivot 40. The frontv board 14 is connected. to the. arms 38 at opposite sides of the seat section and preferably extends closely between the inner side faces of the end frames to make a tight and pleasing connection with the frames. the outer end of each arm 38 and connected thereto by a pivot 42 is a link 44 which may be curved near its opposite end as shown or may be substantially straight and this said opposite end is connected by a pivot 46 with the lever 24 adjacent its connection with the angle bar 30.

Extending from the rear of the seat section in its folded position is an intermediate bed section 43 having a double hinging and coordinating connection with the seat section comprising a lever 50 connected by a pivot 52 at one end to the seat section and a pivot 54 at the other end connecting it to the intermediate section 48 near the end thereof. A link 56 is connected by a pivot 58 to a lateral extension 60 at the upper side (in seat position) of the rear of the seat section and connected at its other end by a pivot 62 to the extremity of the adjacent side of the intermediate section 48.

An outer bed section 64 is hinged to the intermediate section by pivots 65 so that it will swing substantially at right angles thereto, the outer section extending when folded at the bottom of the furniture frame below the seat and spaced therefrom to provide storage for a mattress, bed clothes, and the like, and the intermediate section extends at the rear of the frame with the upper end thereof adjacent the rear of the seat section, but spaced therefrom by the connecting and coordinating links 50 and 56.

The sections 48 and 64 are provided with folding legs 68 and 70 respectively which are pivoted thereto and are operated for folding movement against the sections by means of a lever 72 connected at one end to the lever 50 at a distance from its connection with the section 48 by means of a pivot 74. At the other end, this lever is connected by a pivot 76 to a plate 78 secured to and projecting from the outer sections 64. To operate the outer leg 70, a link 80 has a pivot 82 connecting it with the lever 72 at a distance from its pivot 76 and the other end of the link is connected by a pivot 84 with the leg 70. A short link 86 connects the lever 72 with the: leg 68 and the location of these parts in such that when the intermediate and outer sections are extended to form a bed, the movement into alignment of the sections as they near the surface in front of the frame will automatically extend the legs for supporting the sections in a well known manner.

, The seat section is normally-supported in its seat position by brackets 88 secured to the end frames and by levers 24 and links 26 at each end of the section so that the seat section may be overturned rearwardly by manually engaging the lower edge of the front board 14 and raising it upwardly. This will swing the seat section upwardly and forwardly, carrying the folded intermediate and outer sections forwardly therewith. The front end of the outer bed sections 64 is spaced slightly from the under side of the seat section so that it may now be grasped and moved forwardly, overturning the seat section rearwardly within the frame, this swinging and overturning movement causing the legs 68 and 70 to be swung downwardly and all of the sections to be moved into alignment. In this aligning movement, the link 44 is swung by the lever 24 from one side of its pivot 29 with the angle bar 30 to the other side thereof and this movement is operative to extend the free edge of the front board inwardly in an inclined position toward the seat back 18 thereby substantially'filling the space between the back 18 and the adjacent and now rear side of the seat section, lengthening or extending the bed itself to this extent, and inclining the front board rearwardly to form a pillow rest for this end of the bed frame.

To assist in the opening movement of the bed and to cushion the returning movement, a coil spring 71 is mounted at each end of the bed, one end of the spring being connected to a plate 73 and the other end of the spring being connected to the lever at a point 75 located Extending from t near the bend of the lever adjacent its connection to the mounting strip 28.

In supporting the end frames 10 adjacent their forward ends, a yoke 77 preferably in the form of an angle bar is bent up at the ends and the bent extremities connected by fastening screws 79 to the inside lower edges of the end frames with a crosspiece 81 extending between the end frames. This crosspiece provides a support for the outer section 64 of the bed frame in its folded position, the outer legs 70 (or rollers at the outer ends thereof) resting upon the crosspiece and the bed frame supported thereby.

In closing the bed to form a seat, the outer section is raised which breaks any alignment of the link and its lever 72 so that the sections are folded into a position at right angles to each other as they are raised. This movement closes or folds the legs against their respective sections and by moving the coordinating connections 50 and 56, the seat section is inverted upon its links and as the seat section is inverted, the first movement of the links 24 swings the front board 14 toward the seat section so that the seat section is readily inverted with the intermediate and outer sections until they assume the folded position within the frame as shown in Fig. l with the front board 14 held in position against the frame by the links 44.

A folding pillow rest 90 as shown in Fig. 3 may be pivoted to a bed section 92 which in turn is mounted to swing upon a link 94 mounted at one end upon a pivot 96 connected to the bed section 92 and mounted at its other end upon a pivot 98 on the end frame 10 behind and below the lower end of a seat back 100. A stop 102 on the end of frame 10 engages the link 94 and limits the rearward movement of the bed section 92 to a position partly behind and below the back and a stop 104 also on the end frame 10 at the lower end of the back engages the opposite edge of the link 94 when the bed section is swung outwardly in the frame, limiting the bed section to a horizontal or bed position as shown in broken outline. The pillow rest 90 is connected by a pivot 106 at each end of the bed section near the pivot 96 of the link 94 and it is connected to the link 94 by a-link 108 having a pivot 110 at one end on the pillow rest and a pivot 112 at the other end upon the link 94. In its closed or folded position, the pillow rest may be pressed against bed clothes or a mattress A in the bed section 92 but as the bed section is swung to open or bed position, the pillow rest is moved by the links 94 and 108 to a position raised from the mattress and substantially at right angles to the bed section preferably partially inclined toward the back 100 to fill the space between the end of the bed section and the back 100 and to provide an inclined support for a pillow placed against it.

When the bed section is returned to an upright position at the rear of the frame, the pillow rest is automatically folded against the mattress or bed clothes included therewith, assisting in holding the bed clothes in place, and the movement of the pillow rest is entirely automatic depending upon the movement of the bed section from one position to another.

While preferred constructions have been described in some detail, they should be regarded as illustrations or examples rather than as limitations or restrictions of the invention, since various changes in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim: 7

1. Convertible furniture comprising a frame, a foldable bed having connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other, means connected to the frame and to at least one of the folding bed sections for mounting the bed to move from a seat position within thc frame to a bed position extending from the frame, a movable end rest pivotally connected 'at'th'e end of one of the bed sections, and means connecting the rest and said mountingmeans for positively moving the rest relative 5.. to said one section when the be'd'i's" moved" ffo'm a seat position to a bed-position.

2. Convertible furniture comprisinga supporting-frame, a foldable bed having connectedseat. and other sections which. fold and unfold relatively to each other,.means connected-to the bed frame and-to atleast one of the folding. bedsections for inverting it within the frame when the'bed is moved from aseat position with: the sections within the frame to a bed position in: which they extend from the frame, a movable end rest pivotally connected to one end of the seat section and means connecting the rest and the mounting means for the seat section to move the rest in an outwardly inclined position relative to the seat section when it is inverted from a seat position to a bed position in the frame.

3. Convertible furniture comprising a frame, a foldable bed having connected seat and other sections which fold within the frame and unfold relatively to each other into alignment to form a bed, means connected to the frame and to at least one of the folding bed sections for mounting one bed section for inversion rearwardly within the frame from a seat position to a bed position, a movable end rest pivotally connected to the end of the seat section and means connecting the rest and said mounting means for moving the rest automatically at an outward inclination relative to the seat section when it is moved from a seat position to a bed position.

4. Convertible furniture comprising a frame, a foldable bed having connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other, means comprising a lever connected to the frame and to one of the folding bed sections for mounting the bed to move from a seat position within the frame to a bed position extending from the frame, a movable end rest pivotally connected to the end of one of the bed sections, and means connecting the rest and said lever adjacent its connection with said section for moving the rest relatively to said section when the bed is moved from a seat position to a bed position.

5. Convertible furniture comprising an end frame, a foldable bed having connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other, means connected to the end frame and to at least one of the folding bed sections for mounting the bed to move from a seat position within the frame to a bed position extending from the frame, a movable end rest pivotally connected to the end of one of the end bed sections, and means connecting the rest and said mounting means for positively inclining the rest outwardly at the end of the sections when the bed is moved from a seat position to a bed position to form a pillow rest.

6. A folding bed construction for convertible furniture comprising connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other, means connected to one of the folding bed sections for mounting it to move from a seat position to a bed position, a movable end rest pivotally connected to said one of the bed sections at the end thereof, and means connecting the rest and said mounting means for moving the rest at an outward inclination relative to the said section when the bed sections are moved from a seat position to a bed position.

7. Convertible furniture comprising a frame, a foldable bed having connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other, means connected to the bed frame and to at least one of the folding bed sections for mounting the bed to invert it from a seat position within the frame to a bed position extending from the frame, a front board movably connected at the end of one of the bed sections and extending below the seat at the front of the frame when the sections are in a seat position, and means connecting the front board and said mounting means for moving the front board relative to the sections to form an inclined end rest when the bed is moved from a seat position to a bed position.

8. Convertible furniture, in accordance with claim 7,

in; which front board is mounted" at right angles to the front of one of the" sections when the sections are in a seat" position andismovabl'e therewith to the outer end" of'thebed when it is'unfolded to bed position, and said means connecting the front boarda'nd' said mounting means being operative formoving' the frontb'oard' at an outwardly inclined position. relative to the end of the section to" which it is" connected to form a pillow rest when the bed sections are. inb ed position.

9. Convertible furniture comprising a frame, a foldable bed having connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other; means connected to the bed frame and to one of the folding bed sections which forms a seat for mounting the seat section to invert rearwardly from a seat position within the frame to a bed position at one end of the sections within the frame, a front board pivotally connected to the extreme end of the seat section and extending downwardly at the front thereof in the seat position, and means connecting the front board and the mounting means for the seat section for inclining the front board rearwardly from the rear of the seat section at the end of the bed when the bed is inverted from a seat position to a bed position.

10. A convertible furniture structure, in accordance with claim 9, in which there is a relatively fixed back in the frame above and at the rear of the seat which is spaced from the adjacent end of the seat section when it is inverted and the end board being inclined rearwardly from the end of the seat section to substantially close the space between the end of the seat section and the adjacent portion of the back when the bed is moved from a seat position to a bed position.

11. A convertible seat structure, in accordance with claim 1, having a relatively fixed back in the frame extending upwardly at the rear side of the seat, the mounting means being operative to move the bed so that the adjacent end of one of the sections is spaced in front of the back when the bed is moved from a seat position to a bed position, and the means connecting the end rest is operative to incline the rest rearwardly from the end of the section to which it is connected in the direction of and adjacent to the said back to close the space between the section and the back and to form an inclined pillow rest at this end of the seat and to return the rest to a position at right angles to its seat section when the bed is moved from a bed position to a seat position.

12. Convertible furniture comprising a frame, a folding bed having connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other, means connected to the bed frame and to at least one of the folding bed sections for rearwardly inverting one of the sections to move from a seat position within the frame to a bed position, coordinating means connecting the bed sections to move all of the sections from a folded seat position within the frame to a bed position with the sections extending in alignment, a movable end rest pivotally connected at the end of one of the bed sections, and means connecting the rest and said mounting means for automatically moving the rest in an inclined position projecting beyond the end of the bed when the bed is unfolded from a seat position to a bed position.

13. Convertible furniture, in accordance with claim 12, in which the movable end rest is a front board pivoted to the front side of the seat section in the seat position of the bed sections and is movable therewith to the rear end of the bed sections and inclined outwardly beyond the end of the bed by said mounting means when the bed sections are moved from a seat position to a bed position and the seat section is inverted in the frame.

14. A foldable bed for convertible furniture having seat and other connected sections which fold and unfold relatively to each other, means connected to the seat section for mounting it to invert rearwardly from a seat position to a bed position, coordinating means connecting the seat section and the other folding bed sections for moving them from a folded position behind and below the seat to a position in alignment in front of the seat as the seat section is inverted, an end rest pivotally connected to the front side of the seat section when it is in seat position and movable upwardly therewith when the seat section is moved from a seat position to an aligned bed position, and links connecting the end rest with the mounting means for moving the end rest relative to the seat section to project beyond the end of the bed when the seat section is inverted and the other bed sections are moved into alignment therewith by said cc ordinating means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kindel Oct. 7, 1913 Murphy Mar. 6, 1917 Svebilius May 13, 1919 Schram June 29, 1920 Kramer et a1 Apr. 15, 1924 Thomas Sept. 1, 1931 Thomas July 16, 1935 Thomas Apr. 16, 1940 Bebry Jan. 13, 1953 

